Air-lift foot-piece.



' N. W. WOOD.

AIR LIFT FOOT PIECE. APPLlICATION FILED APR. 11, 1914.

1,150,651, Patented Aug. 17, 1915.

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al'l'o: Hel s r.rEn STATES .NOBLE W. WOOD, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

AIR-LIFT FOOT-PIECE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 17, 1914.. Serial No, 832,600.

. To all whom it may GOTLc-(W'J'L Be it known that I, NOBLE W. WOOD, a

.citizen of the United States of America, re-

siding at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Air Lift Foot-Pieces, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to foot pieces for that .type of known as air lifts.-

The object of the invention is to provide an improved article of this nature so constructed that it may be'readily adapted for use in connectien with'thej types of air lifts already on the market.

L'ke numerals A further object of the invention is the provision of an article of the nature set forth so constructed that obstruction of the flow both of water and of foreign materials, is avoided and a quick formation of the .air

bubble is secured, whereby the efficiency of the apparatus is markedly increased.

Further objects and advantages of the inventionwill be set forth in the detailed deand the casing and the water flows upwardlythrough the centrally disposed water con;

ducting pipe. It has been found in practice that when air is discharged into the water k 1 conducting pipe, as forinstance that shown in Fig. 1, the bubbles take the form thereillustrateda In many of the structures here-.

tofore proposed the air has been discharged through a series of small openings disposed about the water or discharge pipe. After the air from a'number of these openings has collected so that a bubble is formed, the

bubble startsto rise in the well known way. It is apparent that any structure wh ch w1ll cause these bubbles to form in the minimum space (of time gives the greatest efficiency.

Iii is therefore the primary object ofthe present invention to provide as an article of pumping apparatus commonlyinanufacture an integral footpiece adapted ,for connection with the types of water lifts already in use and which will introduce the air 1nto the dlscharge pipe through unbroken annular ports whereby, instead of the-air being discharged into the column of water through a series ,of separate ports and then having to collect to form the bubble, the air is discharged in an unbroken steady stream, immedlate'ly' forming into bubbles and thereby greatly increasing the efiiciencv of the structure. I i

Patented Aug. 17,1915? In carrying out the invention in conjunction with that form of air lift shown in 1, wherein 5 designates the dischargeor .waterpipemade up of the-sections held together by the couplings 6, I provide as an integral casting with one of said sections a shell 7, having a boss 8 into which the air pipe 9 may be threaded. The shell forms an air chamber 10 through the inner wall. 11 of whichlI form an annular,-unbroken port 12 which establishes communication between the air chamber 10 and the interior of discharge pipe 5. Shell 7 therefore, not only serves the function of providing a wall for the air chamber 10 but it ties the two parts ofthe discharge pipe section above. and below the annular port 12, together. It will therefore be seen that I mayplace upon the market as an article of manufacture, aflsub stitute for one of the sections of an ordinary discharge pipe and that when this substitute section'is placed in position, the usual air pipe 9 may be readily connected thereto with ,the result that an annular discharge of the air issecured whereby the highly advantageous results above set forth are achieved.

In the form of the device illustrated in Fig. 2, 21' designates the well casing and 22 the discharge pipe. The discharge pipe section 24 and a tail pipe section 25 are united "bv'the'wall 26 constituting an air chamber. Borts 27 for the entrance of the air into said chamber "are provided, preferably in the'-top., of said chamber, and'the discharge pipe and tail pipe sections 24 and 25' havetheir, endsspaced from each other enough to, constitute an annular port 27. In'this of the device theair flows downwardly between the discharge pipe and the casing through the port27 and is discharged in an ,unbroken, steady stream through port 27 into'the discharge pipe. It is to be noted that there are severalimportant advantages secured bythis structure. The air is discharged into the discharge pipe in anunbroken stream whereby the quick formation of the air bubble is secured, together with an increased efficiency.

This is accomplished in every case with a foot piece which maybe placed upon the market as an integral article of manufacture instead of having to be separatelybuilt up at the well, the foot piece being adapted for ready connection with the pipe already in use. These important results are accomplished Without impeding or obstructing the flow of the water or foreign. material through the discharge pipe. It is frequently the case that rocks of large slze are discharged through these lift pumps, also large masses of clay frequently pass through them and it is of the utmost importance that the discharge pipe be so constructed as to prevent the jamming of these rocks in the discharge pipe which would necessitate pulling the apparatus from the wellat considerable trouble andv expense.

serve the purposes for which they are intended, it isto be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction set forth, but includes Within its purview such changes as may be made Within the scope of-the appendedclaim. I

Having described my invention, What I claim is:

In a device of the character described the combination with the discharge pipe of a water, lift, said pipe being provided with a narrow unbroken annular port, of an air' chamber surrounding, said discharge ipe at the part thereof in which said port is orme'd the walls of said air chamber serving to tie together the parts of the discharge pipe separated by. said annular port, said air chamber extending a material distance above and belowsaid port and means for introducing air under pressure to said chamber at a point out of alinement with said ort. a P In testimony whereof I aflix my. signature in'presence of two witnesses.

a NOBLE W. WOOD. 'Witnesses:

R. L. DOUGLAS, P. W. CRUMP. 

